POI E: THE STORY OF OUR SONG

In 1984 a Maori popsong topped the charts in New Zealand. It was nothing short of a miracle that music with Maori language lyrics could achieve such success. It was the heyday of Tina Turner and Michael Jackson – and of course most songs were sung in English. But then along came Dalvanius Prime, an imposing Maori with a strong but silky smooth voice, and the singers of the Patea Maori Club. Prime had already established himself as a ‘black’ soul singer, then he began to mix traditional melodies with modern Beats. Although the media would have loved to ignore it, Poi E became a ‘hymn of a new generation’, ultimately encouraged many Maori to rediscover their roots and experienced a new hype in Taika Waititis feature Boy

The Wairoa Maori Film Festival was founded in 2005 with the purpose of supporting, recognising and presenting the indigenous storyteller narrative. We are a non profit, non political organisation Te Roopu Whakaata Maori i Te Wairoa -Wairoa Maori Film Festival Inc. (c) 2005-2014.